Local History and Genealogy
News, comments, resources, and more.
On a walk through downtown Kalamazoo, one would be hard pressed to fail to take notice of both the number and variety of works of public art which adorn building facades, walkways, parks, and even alleys. After completion of a photo gallery dedicated to public sculpture in Kalamazoo, the idea of creating a similar gallery of public murals came up and immediately appealed to me. One of the tasks that I have enjoyed the most as the local history room intern has been the exploration and documentation of the landscape of Kalamazoo through photography.
Once begun, the project began to swell beyond my initial impressions of the number of public murals to be found in Kalamazoo. Some murals have been present for decades and have become so well integrated into the cityscape that they have become easy to overlook. New murals are arriving annually, being painted by local artists such as Conrad Kaufman, who has made a name for himself in the region due to the sheer number of murals he has created for both public and private audiences.
While some of Kalamazoo's murals are easily located, others are more well hidden. Throughout the process of locating and documenting these works of art, I have often been surprised at what can be discovered through a slight variation of a routine route through town. After an examination of the murals in the photo gallery, it is my hope that you will seek them out on your own if should you happen find yourself nearby. If you are aware of any murals that are readily accessible to the public and have not yet been included in the gallery, please let me know in order to help make the list as complete as possible.
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"Kirbyville"
Murals-160
http://www.kpl.gov/local-history/photos/arts-entertainment-photos/public-murals.aspx
One of the most interesting and fun aspects of working in the local history room is receiving new (old) materials for the collection. These come to us from a variety of sources and are often a complete surprise. Last week we received one of these unexpected gifts all the way from North Carolina. The donor had apparently never lived here. His father had lived in Michigan but moved away over 80 years ago – however, for some reason he saved a postcard of the Triangle Lunch on old US 131 between Kalamazoo and Plainwell. The family held onto that postcard all these years and then very thoughtfully passed it on to us. I am always amazed and grateful when people take the time to do things like that.
We are having a wonderful time trying to unlock the clues in this photo. Our donor believes that it would have been purchased in the late 1920s or early 1930s, and we know from phonebooks that a Triangle Lunchroom was operating in Cooper Township at that time. We have not yet determined where on old 131 (Douglas Avenue) the diner sat, or the owners, but we have many resources still to check. If you have any information for us regarding the photo, please let us know. Local residents are often our best resources!
One interesting note – we had hoped to get vital information from a sign in the window of the building, but no amount of magnification seemed to help. Finally, Mandana Nordbrock, with her sharp (young) eyes solved this important mystery – it read “Juicy Ham Burgers.”
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Historic photos
Triangle-lunch-2-160
http://www.kpl.gov/local-history/photos/gallery.aspx
On Monday evening, May 23, the Southwest Michigan Postcard Club will present part two of its series of programs at the Oshtemo Branch Library entitled “Railroads of Michigan: Small Pictures, Big Stories.”
Regional railroad history expert and author Mark Worrall will share more rare and unusual photos of railroads from Michigan’s past and discuss the intriguing and sometimes unbelievable stories behind them. “From oat powered trains to air powered railroads; oil trains on the Annie to Hunter Specials roaring across the Upper Peninsula; Grand Rapids reefers to the Duluth South Shore & Atlantic’s spending binge in 1888.” Mark is a compelling presenter and his programs always receive enthusiastic reviews. Come early, Mark’s program begins promptly at 6:30 pm.
“Lakeshore & Michigan Southern wreck that occured on the northside of Kalamazoo on June 18, 1913.” ~Mark Worrall
Photos courtesy Mark Worrall
Mark has coauthored books about Michigan’s railroad history, including Michigan Rail Disasters 1900-1940 with Benjamin Bernhart and Detroit, Toledo & Milwaukee Railroad with Charlie Conn. In 2009, Mark was a featured speaker at the Michigan Railroad History Conference.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn more about Michigan’s historic rail lines!
Book
Railroads of Michigan: Small Pictures, Big Stories
kalamazoo-mut-streetcar-160
/local-history/railroads-of-michigan-part-2/
Over the course of the last year, my position as local history intern has afforded me numerous opportunities to engage in a variety of projects, most of which have allowed me to pursue my own personal local history interests while contributing to the body of material available to the public for use in their own historical inquiries. When the weather has been appropriate, these projects have often taken me outdoors, camera in hand, and onto the streets of Kalamazoo. Last summer, I had the distinct pleasure of visiting and photographing the various historic districts of Kalamazoo County in order to compile information from the National Register of Historic Places and the State Historic Preservation Office in a series of web pages. When appropriate, I would always opt to walk to these destinations. In my pedestrian travels throughout Kalamazoo, I was frequently impressed by the quality and quantity of public memorials, monuments, sculptures, murals, and other works of art. When discussion regarding updates to the library’s online photo gallery of local public sculpture occurred last winter, I immediately became interested in contributing to this effort.
As soon as the last of the significant quantities of snow had melted, and the weather had begun to turn more hospitable, I was ready to take new photographs of the works previously included, and quickly decided to expand the collection. From nine, the gallery has grown to thirty-nine with plans to include approximately two dozen additional sculptures. The sheer number of works of public sculpture found in Kalamazoo renders even this list incomplete, and it is my hope that if you are aware of a work that has been currently overlooked, you will inform me in order to help create the most comprehensive list possible.
These sculptures are, and have been, sources of civic pride for the residents of Kalamazoo, and we are lucky to conduct our lives amidst an atmosphere that encourages and appreciates the creation of works of artistic expression. While I am continuing to expand the gallery devoted to public sculpture in Kalamazoo, I am also currently engaged in creating a similar gallery focusing on public murals. It is my hope to have a version available by the end of spring.
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Kalamazoo Ruby Light Chandelier
Sculpture-160
http://www.kpl.gov/local-history/photos/arts-entertainment-photos/public-sculpture.aspx
Some things just get better with age; a vintage wine, a hand crafted musical instrument, or perhaps a lifelong relationship with a significant other. On the other hand, some things need a little help if they are expected to survive.
During the 1970s, the water tower at the Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital nearly met its demise before a public effort succeeded in raising the necessary funds to save it. Countless other structures around the city—the GR&I Depot, the Michigan Central Railroad Station, Henderson Castle, and more recently, the historic Michigan Avenue business district—can all lay claim to similar stories. Others—the original Kalamazoo Public Library building comes immediately to mind—weren’t so fortunate.
There’s a new movement afoot to save the aging smokestack next to the old Gibson guitar factory (now home to Heritage Guitar Inc., and others) at 225 Parsons Street in Kalamazoo. The factory was built in 1917 and its smokestack, emblazoned with the vertical letters G-I-B-S-O-N, has since stood as a proud monument to the iconic company that once occupied the property. Sadly, time has begun to take its toll on this historic landmark. The aging structure is in desperate need of repair or it will eventually have to face the inevitable.
Local supporters have started a “Save the Stack” campaign to raise awareness and hopefully save the Gibson smokestack. Visit the group’s new Facebook page, share photos and stories, “Like” what they are doing, and join the effort!
Gibson factory site, April 2011
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The Historic Gibson Smokestack
gibson-smokestack-2011-04-12-160
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Gibson-Smokestack-Save-The-Stack/206539726030337
Back in October I wrote about Charles Fischer meeting Albert Einstein on a 1930 world cruise, and an item now in the library collection that appears to be written in Einstein’s own hand. The call went out to try to identify the writing and perhaps determine if indeed it was written by Einstein himself.
Not long after, we received a call from Belgium. Author Alain Findling is working on a book about Albert Einstein—not Einstein the physicist or Einstein the philosophical genius, but Einstein the musician. Fascinating! Music it seems played an important role in Einstein’s life, as evidenced in the brief video from the Institute of Physics at the end of this post. Mr. Findling was intrigued by the photo of Einstein and Fischer, and wanted to know more about the story behind it. We’ll certainly be curious to learn more about Mr. Findling’s research.
And just this week, we received a communication from Osik Moses, Assistant Editor for the Einstein Papers Project at The California Institute of Technology. The Einstein Papers Project, “one of the most ambitious publishing ventures ever undertaken in the documentation of the history of science,” plays a leading role in the effort to document, preserve, and publish the written work of Albert Einstein.
Ms. Moses forwarded the following explanation from her colleague, Dr. Jeroen van Dongen from the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands. Van Dongen explains, “The calculations refer to Einstein’s attempts to develop a unified field theory of gravitation and matter. First he defines the Einstein tensor (G), next he studies the Euler-Lagrange variations.” (Heavy stuff indeed for a vacation cruise.) Van Dongen then adds, “...in light of this explanation it is impossible that Einstein “collaborated” with Fischer. Maybe Fischer saw Einstein working on the unified theory and asked him for a page that Einstein was going to drop in the waste bin.” Again... fascinating!
So just as we might have surmised, the unidentified napkin appears to be a unique souvenir of world travel that Charlie Fischer brought home to Kalamazoo. A truly international effort now provides evidence to suggest that the writings are most likely the authentic scribblings of Albert Einstein. The world gets a little smaller every day.
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Possible Einstein Writings
einstein-formulas-160
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalamazoopubliclibrary/5120661802/
On Monday evening, March 28, the Southwest Michigan Postcard Club will present the first in a two part series of programs at the Oshtemo Branch Library entitled “Railroads of Michigan: Small Pictures, Big Stories.”
Regional railroad history expert and author Mark Worrall will share rare and unusual photos of railroads from Michigan’s past and discuss the intriguing and sometimes unbelievable stories behind them. “From oat powered trains to air powered railroads; oil trains on the Annie to Hunter Specials roaring across the Upper Peninsula; Grand Rapids reefers to the Duluth South Shore & Atlantic’s spending binge in 1888.” Mark is a compelling presenter and his programs always receive enthusiastic reviews. Monday’s program begins at 6:30 pm.
“A Duluth South Shore & Atlantic crew looks on impatiently while the photographer records the Lake Gogebic station stop for Train No. 5 while a couple of fisherman proudly show off their catch.” ~Mark Worrall
Photos courtesy Mark Worrall
Mark has coauthored books about Michigan’s railroad history, including Michigan Rail Disasters 1900-1940 with Benjamin Bernhart and Detroit, Toledo & Milwaukee Railroad with Charlie Conn. In 2009, Mark was a featured speaker at the Michigan Railroad History Conference.
Mark will present the second part of his program at the Oshtemo Branch Library on May 23rd.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn more about Michigan’s historic rail lines!
Book
Railroads of Michigan: Small Pictures, Big Stories
harbor-beach-resort-train-160
/local-history/railroads-of-michigan-part-1/
Perhaps the last time you attended a sporting event or concert, you awoke the next day to find you had come down with Clergyman’s Throat (“An impairment of the voice due to excessive or improper use of the voice. Can also be caused by excessive use of tobacco or liquor.” p.29). Then again, there are those who suffer, during the long dry, winter months, from Furfur (Furfaire) (“Any scaling of the skin, such as dandruff” p.53). Or, maybe you were frustrated during your lunch break when trying to quickly place your order to find the individual behind the counter to be quite Starblind (“A condition in which an individual stares with eyes half closed, appears to be slow to understand, and blinks frequently” p.135). There is a wealth of obscure medical ailments and their cures held within this rather slight, economical (just 178 pages including reference citations) and yet fascinating and informative publication, A Medical Miscellany for Genealogists. Dr. Jerger has written, or perhaps it is better to say compiled, her book expressly for the use of understanding antiquated medical terms. It functions like a dictionary. It was created by one who was herself frustrated, despite more than thirty years of experience in the medical field, by inscrutable language when investigating her ancestor’s life histories and the ailments from which they suffered and perhaps succumbed to. Dr. Jerger has also supplemented this list with terms from Native American, European, Asian and African folk beliefs and healing traditions.
Whether your understanding is impeded by neglected medical nomenclature while in the midst of genealogy research, studying old medical records, while attempting to enjoy literature of the time or even if you just have an interest in obscure words and phrases, this book is an excellent resource for being specific to the medical field and terminology that has fallen out of favor, various pseudonyms for the same practice or perhaps practices or medicines that are no longer in use (“Inhalation of Gas- A form of pneumotherapy. Inhalations of carbonic acid and sulfurous acid were used to treat tuberculosis of the lungs, asthma and emphysema.” p. 71). From the completely unheard of (“Spruce Beer- A remedy made by boiling the tops of spruce boughs in beer. Used to treat scurvy in the 18th century.” P.134) to the familiar disguised in strange nomenclature (“Polish Disease- Also syphilis.” P.111, “Scourge of Nations- Also Cholera” p 125 or “St. Hubert’s Disease- Also Rabies” p.122) you can use this book as a research tool or as a source for a few moments interesting and educational diversion.
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A Medical Miscellany for Genealogists
0788403753
When it comes to historic buildings, few generate the level of interest that one-room schoolhouses do. It’s hard to pass one by without taking a second look and wondering what life was like for students who were educated there. It’s also fascinating to see how they have been remodeled and repurposed into homes, shops, and other useful structures. On February 24, the Library will host a program for all of us who love these old buildings - Michigan’s Historic One Room Schoolhouses. Presenter Dianna Stampfler will take us on a photographic tour of schoolhouses throughout Michigan and reveal their history and how many are being used today. Dianna always presents a lively, informative program; and as a resident of southwest Michigan her presentation will include many familiar landmarks. Join us at 7:00 pm on the 24th for a great program, and don’t forget that you can always find useful information about Kalamazoo County rural schools under Education in the All About Kalamazoo History section of our website.
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Michigan’s Historic Schoolhouses
rural-school-160
http://www.kpl.gov/local-history/one-room-schools/
While sorting through some of our internal networks in search of files for a recent project, I ran across a terrific find. Last May, local shipwreck hunter and author Valerie van Heest gave an excellent program at Central Library called “Lost and Found: Shipwrecks of West Michigan.” During her 55 minute presentation, van Heest talked about the many vessels that have been lost in the waters off Michigan’s west coast, and provided an overview of the work her team has done over the past fifteen years to locate and document these wrecks. Valerie showed compelling images (both still and video) of what they’ve found, and provided fascinating insight into the discovery process itself.
KPL staff videotaped the program in May, but for whatever reason, the files were stored away and seemingly forgotten. With this new “discovery,” the program is now available in its entirety on KPL’s YouTube Channel, and linked along with the other Local History Video Presentations on the KPL website.
It was truly exciting to view Valerie’s program; itself once “lost and (now) found!”
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Lost and Found: Shipwrecks of West Michigan
shipwrecks-of-west-michigan-160
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=D6AAE96ECC82E177